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@Thecowboysgirl I have a dog most would deem as dangerous. She has a prior bite history with humans. Including me when I first got her. She’s nipped at a few ankles to get men alway from her in my home (also when I first got her) but she did bite one man twice a little over a year ago. It’s a man that lived in apt complex I lived in and managed. This guy was very odd, was always on something (both drugs and alcoholic), and I told him multiple times not to approach me when I had my dogs out, because Lyka clearly didn’t like him. I told him she is prone to biting. I told him anything we needed to discuss could be discussed during business hours. The first time she bite him, it was with a soft mouth and didn’t leave marks or break skin. He came up quickly behind me, shouted my name, and when I turned around he tossed a box towards me while still approaching me with a manic energy. Lyka bite him. I told him I would pay for any medical costs if he wanted to be looked at, and would call AC if he wanted to report it. He declined both, apologized for approaching me in such a manner, and walked away. The second time, months later, I was walking her at night to lock up all the facilities (pool, laundry, common room). This time he didn’t say a word, walked up quietly and quickly and placed his hand on my shoulder from behind. This time Lyka didn’t use a soft mouth. She bite his hand, and did break skin. He jumped back for a second, and then tried to get close to me again. This guy has zero ideas of what personal space is. He wants to be an inch from your face to talk. So after I turned around and saw who it was, Lyka reacted while he got really close to me again, and she went into full on attack mode, bit his hand again, he still didn’t move, and she climbed him and bit his stomach and shredded his shirt. Broke skin on his stomach as well, in multiple places. Again, I offered medical assistance (call ambulance or drive him to the hospital, and would also call AC for him to report. He said no, turned around and booked it.
Was she protecting me? Was it just a man that she really really didn’t like personally? Did she sense my discomfort with this man, or did she sense something not right in him. I don’t know. But I do know right before I moved, that same main was arrested for serial rape with minors, and the death of one minor female. I consider myself lucky. This man also had a horrible temper and would come in the office screaming in my face if he got a failure to pay notice posted on his door. Do I think he would have raped me? No, I’m not his MO. Do I think he could have killed me in a fit of rage? Absolutely.
I still have Lyka. We have traveled long distances together, and never had an issue. She is secured in my vehicle, she doesn’t just free roam. None of my dogs do, they are all tethered in. It’s a risk I am willing to take. If I was involved in another accident, and Lyka tried to injure people trying to help me, I understand what the consequences are for her. I realize what they are for me. I still would not euthanize her, or keep her in lock down 24/7 inside my home. She goes to the vet with zero problems. She ignores anyone that comes in the house with the exception of my brother and brother in law, whom she will nip at the ankles while barking at them. They are both creeps, I don’t blame her. Lucky for me, a nip on the leg of their jeans was all it took for them to stop coming by, when they knew I didn’t want them coming by anyway.
She’s not some crazed man eating beast, she is a dog, doing her job. I take precautions around other people’s children, and she goes in her room when children are over playing. Not because I don’t trust her, but because we are the “scary dog” house to parents, so we agree to crate/room the dogs so they will allow the kids over to play and swim. She has never so much as looked side eyes at any child, she loves them, but I still keep her interactions to my kids, and my kids cousins.
Not saying I’m right, not saying you’re right, just explaining it from a bite dog owners eyes.
FWIW, she has gotten out a few times at the apartment because of the girls, and she is perfectly happy and friendly to everyone she meets. She got loose once here when a worker left the back gate open and I didn’t check (like an idiot) before opening the doggie door. I booked it when I realized she had gotten out. I got a call from a guy about 5-6 blocks away saying he caught my two sweet dogs. She also has never so much as barked at cops in uniforms. We had cops coming and going from the apt complex all the time. One jokingly said he would take her as a K9 in a second. No thanks, she’s all mine!
Was she protecting me? Was it just a man that she really really didn’t like personally? Did she sense my discomfort with this man, or did she sense something not right in him. I don’t know. But I do know right before I moved, that same main was arrested for serial rape with minors, and the death of one minor female. I consider myself lucky. This man also had a horrible temper and would come in the office screaming in my face if he got a failure to pay notice posted on his door. Do I think he would have raped me? No, I’m not his MO. Do I think he could have killed me in a fit of rage? Absolutely.
I still have Lyka. We have traveled long distances together, and never had an issue. She is secured in my vehicle, she doesn’t just free roam. None of my dogs do, they are all tethered in. It’s a risk I am willing to take. If I was involved in another accident, and Lyka tried to injure people trying to help me, I understand what the consequences are for her. I realize what they are for me. I still would not euthanize her, or keep her in lock down 24/7 inside my home. She goes to the vet with zero problems. She ignores anyone that comes in the house with the exception of my brother and brother in law, whom she will nip at the ankles while barking at them. They are both creeps, I don’t blame her. Lucky for me, a nip on the leg of their jeans was all it took for them to stop coming by, when they knew I didn’t want them coming by anyway.
She’s not some crazed man eating beast, she is a dog, doing her job. I take precautions around other people’s children, and she goes in her room when children are over playing. Not because I don’t trust her, but because we are the “scary dog” house to parents, so we agree to crate/room the dogs so they will allow the kids over to play and swim. She has never so much as looked side eyes at any child, she loves them, but I still keep her interactions to my kids, and my kids cousins.
Not saying I’m right, not saying you’re right, just explaining it from a bite dog owners eyes.
FWIW, she has gotten out a few times at the apartment because of the girls, and she is perfectly happy and friendly to everyone she meets. She got loose once here when a worker left the back gate open and I didn’t check (like an idiot) before opening the doggie door. I booked it when I realized she had gotten out. I got a call from a guy about 5-6 blocks away saying he caught my two sweet dogs. She also has never so much as barked at cops in uniforms. We had cops coming and going from the apt complex all the time. One jokingly said he would take her as a K9 in a second. No thanks, she’s all mine!